Well point and process of making the same



July 7, 1936. E. E. JOHNSON WELL POINT AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Sept. 11, 1953 Inventor- Edward E. U'ohnson.

Attorneys Patented July 7, 1936 PATENT OFFICE I 2,046,456- WELL POINT AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Edward E. Johnson,

Edward E. Minn.

St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Johnson, Incorporated, St. Paul,

Application September 11, 1933, Serial No. 688,901

13 Claims.

My invention relates to what are known as well points, to-wit, a strainer device having a pointed end, and which is adapted to be driven into the ground through drift or overlying clay strata into water-bearing sand, whereby the water will pass through the strainerand may be pumped up for use. The invention includes the process of making the well points as well as the article itself.

In practice heretofore it has been customary to make such well points of steel tubing with a multiplicity of perforations in the tube overlaid with some kind of a screen, and having a driving point attached thereto. Such constructions have been deficient in strainer capacity, easily clogged or plugged up and subject to injury in driving. Also such constructions frequently are destroyed for use, in being pulled up, which may frequently be desirable.

It is the object of my invention to provide a well point wherein the strainer element is composed of a properly-shaped wire helically wound upon and sunk into and integrated with longitudinal rods at each crossing point of rods and wire whereby substantially continuous slots are provided narrowest at their outside, resulting in extremely large capacity, and wherein a driving point is integrated by welding with the ends of all said rods, and a coupler member is similarly integrated with the other ends of the rods.

This gives a construction which throughout its length, and to the point itself, is as rigid and unyielding as an imperforate steel tube of the same diameter, which cannot ordinarily be injured in driving or pulling up, and which provides maximum capacity of water inlet, and entirely prevents clogging or plugging.

The full objects and advantages of my invention will appear in connection with the detailed description hereinafter given, and its novel features are particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing, illustratingan application of my invention in one form,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation view of the parts comprising my well point disconnected. Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 5, Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 6. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the end of the screen member and the point member casting as assembled before welding. Fig. 6 is a similar part sectional view showing the parts after welding. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the manner of welding the coupler to the screen portion. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal view of a completed well point.

A complete well point comprises three parts, a central strainer part H), a solid metal point member II and a tubular or pipe coupling member l2.

In forming the central strainer member ill the process of my application Serial Numbers 467,- 527 filed July 12, 1930, and 599,970 filed March 19, 1932, are employed, with certain modifications particularly applicable to the small diameter of strainer member employed in connection with a screen point. As appears in the aforesaid applications, a well screen is fabricated by winding helically upon a multiplicity of rods positioned so that their outer limits outline a circle, a wire member of rhomboidal cross section and welding the wire and rods at each crossing point thereof in such manner that the wire and rods are sunk together a predetermined distance, with a resulting helical slot of uniform width extending about and from end to end of the screen, the outer limits of the surfaces of said helical wire falling in common planes, which in practice in the larger screens will be cylindrical or substantially cylindrical. In the practice of the process of fabricating well points, and to produce the well point of this application, I provide a wire I3 of rhomboidal cross-section but of great depth, as indicated at I4 in Fig. 6. That is, the wire when woundhas its narrow edge inturned. This wire is wound uponrods i5 having the cross-sectional shape 16 as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. That is, somewhat egg-shaped in cross-section but with the small end drawn to substantially a point, as clearly shown. The deep narrow inner portions I1 (Fig. 6) of the wire l3 are forced down and into the pointed portions l8 (Figs. 2 and 3) of the rods i5, and the Wire 63 is angularly bent over each of said rods at the crossing point thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. In practice from eight to twelve rods will be employed, which gives a resulting strainer having as many sides as there are rods, and, being in cross-section, of course a regular polygon. There is a two-fold purpose in forming the strainer member in this way. First, the wire and rods being of the shape they are, and integrated in the manner they are, as structure of very great rigidity is produced. Second, because of the shape and relative dimensions of the wires and rods, and the manner in which .the

deep narrow converging walled parts of the wire are sunk. into the pointed parts of the rod, the drainage slot resulting is substantially of complete maximum capacity from end to end and for each helical coil thereof. This is due to the fact that the converging'side walls of wires l3, taken in conjunction with the depths of these wires, more than compensates for the blocking of the inner parts of the spaces of the slots by the rods, with the result that the actual ca pacity of the screen is equal to the free area of the helical slot from end to end, and at the same time the narrowest part of this slot from end to end is at its outer beginning. These features of very importance, since a well point is necessarily of small diameter (in prac tice usually less than two inches), is subjected to very severe strains being set, and frequently is in a water-bearing formation composed of closepaclred sand, so that rigidity and resist ing power, and also relative capacity, are highly important factors of a practically successful well point, and factors which my well. point oere outlined fully secure. I

The point ii and a coupler member i? are acintegrated with the rods within the ...er iii. The point it is a casting ed of steel, or any suitable metal 'compnsing a solid portion it) running out into a point, a cavity surrounded by a heavily annular wall and annular extension. 22 of smaller diameter than the wall The interior wall oi": extension. forms continuation of cavity 253, and the outer wall oi extension 22 is bevelled. or slightly cone-shaped, as clearly indicated in Fig. 5, and is positioned to leave an annular shoulder which is formed with an annular groove as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 5. The tubular extension 22 is of a diam eter such that it may be inserted within the circle of rods at the lower end 25 of screen member ii and the bevelled or conical surface thereof will be such that the projecting flange 23 will fall short of the end 25, leaving an annular space between said flange and end as clearly shown at 25 in Fig. 5. The parts are held in this position during the welding operation. Welding metal is applied in the usual way under an electric are or a welding torch and is puddled into the space 25, and into the space 21 between the extension 22 and the inner surface of wire is and about rods 65, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. This molten metal combining with the softening metal of wall 2i, flange 23, groove 26, tubular extension 22 and ends of rods 95, integrates the point it with the end of the screen member iii, and particularly with the ends of rods i5 so as to make the point it a rigid continuing structure with said rods and screen. This completely integrating weld is indicated at 40 in Fig. 4.

In securing the coupling member 82 to the screen member at the end away from the point ii, the free end 28 of screen it, and the unthreaded end 29 of coupling member M are held in alinement by means of a mandrel 30. This mandrel comprises a cylindrical head 3! adapted to fit snugly within the circle outlined by the rods 55 within shank 32 which is extended into a threaded member 33 adapted to be screwed into a nut 34 which is itself screwed against the threaded end 35 of coupling member 12, and has a cylindrical portion 38 which fits snugly within the coupling member B2. A copper shell 31 (Fig. 7) is mounted on and surrounds the shank 32 adends of said rods the screen member ill, a

accents jacent cylindrical portion and is tapered and of such diameter that it may be set firmly against the inner portions of rods to, as clearly shown in Fig. l, the parts in Fig. 8 being in position for welding, and the weld shown as being completed. This weld is effected in a customary manner by means of an electric are or welding torch and welding metal which is melted and puddled in over the adjacent ends 22 and of the screen iii and coupling member l2, and which flows through between rode it, and ultimately makes a complete union between the and the end as of coupling member l2, forming a weld bane. 38 as ind-5 cated in Fig. 8, and which may be turned down to a uniform and proper dimension, where that is required... The copper sheath having a bevelled surface, and being of metal which does not unite with the welding metal, and having a higher coefficient of expansion is readily released upon application of power to the tli. *aded nut by means of a wrench, the squared end 39 serving to prevent rotation of the mandrel while it is being withdrawn.

arrangement and method of uniting the 0 coupling member to the point produces com plete integration of the screen and coupl ng member, with the coupling member in nerlect alinement with the screen. The completed screen is in fact one integral member, as if it had been integrated into one piece. It possesses the qualities of great rigidity, permanence, and resisting power and extraordinary relative capacity.

I claim:

l. A well point comprising a screen portion formed of a wire wound upon spaced rods outlining a cylinder, said wire and rods being such together and metallically integrated at each of their crossing points, a solid metal point welded to and metallically integrated with a set of ends of said rods, and a tubular coupling member welded to and integrated with the other ends of said rods.

2. A drive well point comprising a tubular shank, a cylindrical tube composed of a pin rality of spaced longitudinally extended rods with a spaced wire wrapped helically thereon and metallically integrated and merged therewith, and a conical point for driving secured to said rods.

3. A drive well screen comprising a tubular shank and a conical driving point disposed in axial alinement, a plurality of spaced longitudinally extended driving rods metallically integrated to said shank and said driving point and holding them spaced apart, and a wall supported by said driving rods comprising a. helically disposed wrapping wire metallically integrated thereto and forming a continuous helical slot adapted to collect water from sand formations.

4. A well point comprising a screen portion formed of a wire helically wound upon spaced rods outlining a cylinder, said wire and rods being sunk together and metallically integrated at each of their crossing points, a solid metal point and. a tubular coupling at opposite ends of the screen portion, and a band of welding metal puddled into and integrally uniting the ends of said rods with the point and the coupling respectively.

5. A well point comprising a screen portion formed of a wire wound upon spaced rods outlining a cylinder, said wire and rods being sunk together and metallically integrated at each of their crossing points, a solid metal point having a cylindrical portion extending within the screen portion and contacting said rods adjacent one set of their ends, and welding metal puddled into the spaces between the several rods and the screen portion and cylindrical portion of the point, and integrating and welding together the rods and said head.

6. A well point comprising a screen portion formed of a wire wound upon spaced rods outlining a cylinder, said wire and rods being sunk together and metallically integrated at each of their crossing points, a tubular coupling having an end contacting one set of ends of said rods and alined with said screen portion, and a band of welding metal puddled into the spaces between the ends of said rods and welded and integrated into the end of the tubular coupling to integrally unite the same.

7. A process of making well points which con sists in fabricating a screen portion by winding wire helically upon spaced rods outlining a cylinder, and causing said wire and rods to be sunk together and metallically integrated at each of their crossing points, inserting a cylindrical extension of a solid metal point within an end of the screen portion so as to contact all said rods adjacent said end, and puddling welding metal into the'spaces between said rods and between the screen portion and the cylindrical extension whereby said point and rods are welded together and metallically integrated.

8. A process of making well points which consists in fabricating a screen portion by winding wire helically upon spaced rods, outlining a cylinder and causing said wire and rods to be sunk together and metallically integrated at each of their crossing points, forming a solid metal point with a shoulder having substantially the outer 9. A process of making well points which consists in fabricating a screen portion by winding wire helically upon spaced rods outlining a cylinder and causing said wire and rods to be sunk together and metallically integrated at each of their crossing points, holding a tubular coupling member of substantially the diameter of said screen portion with the walls of the coupling and the screen portion in alinernent and their ends near together but out of contact, holding a cylindrical baffie member formed of non-weldable metal within the screen portion and the coupling and across the space between their ends, puddling welding metal into said space and into the spaces between said rods and between the screen portion and the bafiie member whereby said coupling and rods are welded together and metallically integrated, and subsequently withdrawing the bafile member.

10. A process of making well points which consists in fabricating a screen portion by winding wire helically upon spaced rods outlining a cylinder and causing said wire and rods to besunk 'portion and the coupling and across the space 1 betweentheir ends by operation of a threaded shank in said thrust nut, puddling welded metal into said space and into the spaces between said rods and between the screen portion and the bafiie member whereby said coupling and rods are welded together and metallically integrated, and subsequently turning the thrust nut on the threaded shank to withdraw the bafile member. Y

11. A process of making well screens which consists of fabricating a screen portion by winding wire helically upon spaced rods outlining a cylinder, and causing said wire and rods to be sunk together and metallically integrated at each of their crossing points, inserting within said screen portion a core member having separated parts each adapted to contact all said rods,

a third part adapted to contact the interior of a tubular coupling member, and having a threaded shank, placing said coupling member of substantially the diameter of said screen portion about said third portion of the core member so its ends walls will be in alinement with, near to, but spaced from the end of the screen portion and the second part of the core member 38 will form a non-weldable metallic baliie across said space, applying a nut to said threaded shank having a cylindrical extension so as to bring said extension within the outer end of the coupling member and hold the same in alinem'ent 40 with the screen member, puddling welding metal into said space and into the spaces between said rods and between the screen portion and the bailie member, whereby said coupling and rods are welded together and metallically integrated, 5

- and subsequently operating the threaded nut on the threaded shank to withdraw the guide member.

12. A process of making well screens which consists in fabricating a screen portion by winding wire helically upon spaced rods outlining a cylinder, and causing said wire and rods to be sunk together and metallically integrated at each of their crossing points, inserting within said screen portion a guideway having separated parts adapted to contact all said rods and'having a threaded .shank, placing a tubular coupling member of substantially the diameter of said screen portion and having a threaded thrust nut applied to the outer end of the coupling over said guide to member with the threaded shank threaded into said thrust nut, operating said thrust nut to bring the walls of the coupling and the screen portion into alinement with their ends near together and the second part of the guide member dd consists in fabricating 9, screen portion by winding Wire helically upon spaced rods outlining a cylinder end causing said wire and rods to be sunk together and metaiiically integrated'at each of their crossing points, holding a, tubular cou pling member siidabiy alined on a, mandrel and abutting adjusting nut thereon, holding the said screen portion on said mandrel aiinement "with coupling member with their ends near together but out of contact and overlying the nondveidebie metal baifie on the mandrel, break ing down the adjacent ends of the coupling mam her and the screen member overlying the non-= welciaoie name by applying a welding heat puziciiing Welding metal into the space so made whereby said coupling and. said screen are welded together and metallically integrated and subsequentiy turning the adjusting amt on the man drel to withdraw the samew ED /VAPUD E. 

